Happy Saturday!

Another long one ahead. This one clocks in at well over 8000 words.

And I must say, this might be one of my favourite (non-action) chapters, almost pure fluff, humour and romance, some of it with a small helping of cheese, but I'm a sucker for that shit. Hopefully you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

~Onward!

34

Mavis' voice had miraculously filtered into her subconscious with child-like demands for her to wake up, a distant thought pressing upon her like a task long forgotten that relentlessly nagged at the mind. With a start, she'd woken and the frozen stasis holding them all was shattered, though Lucy herself hadn't realized at that moment, that time had been suspended for any period of time. Lucy had pressed herself up with muscles and joints stiffer than she'd ever experienced, brushing sand from her hair and her body as she'd surveyed the beach around her. Vibrant blue skies above, the warmth of the sun on her skin, the gorgeous white sand beach belying no signs of a battle that slowly registered in her mind. At the memory she had whirled around, frantically searching for any sign of the apocalypse dragon and found none, reassuring words confirming their safety washed through her, courtesy of Mavis. Lucy had released a breath as various soft sounds of confusion rose around her when the rest of her guildmates slowly awoke and pulled themselves from the sandy bed they'd all been sprawled around.

They would learn soon enough that over two years had passed along without them.

Fairy Tail

The Trial participants had been home for a little over a week, and nearly every member was present in the guild chatting in groups, drinking, catching up on what had happened to the guild, and Fiore, over the last two years. No one was really taking jobs even if they were all in major debt, Fairy Tail's reputation had understandably taken a substantial hit with all of their strongest members presumed dead. The job requests had stopped coming in, so the job pickings were sparse, and the accompanying rewards, dismal. Makorav had even expressed his surprise that the remaining members had managed to maintain the expenses associated with the guild hall and property but Macao had explained that just a month after the disappearance of Tenrou Island, anonymous donations had begun showing up regularly at the guild. In addition, when the guild's vulnerability got out, guilds like Twilight Ogre and Phantom Lord had begun moving in on Magnolia and threatening the guild. But somehow the threats always seemed to dissipate quickly, someone had even gone and eradicated all of Phantom Lord's satellite branches around Fiore. The Fairy Tail members had always assumed it was some of their closest allied guilds, like Lamia Scale helping them out, but remaining anonymous to avoid attracting the eye of the Council due to interguild conflicts being outlawed.

Lucy sighed in boredom as she watched her guildmates, she was stretched out in a booth both legs up on the bench and taking in the rather subdued energy that had remained in place since their return. Sure, there had been some level of partying when the Tenrou team first returned, their guildmates who'd been left behind were just so relieved to have most of them back. But when both groups realized that the other hadn't heard from their Twin Dragons over the past two years that hung over them heavily. The question no one dared voice out loud, but remained unspoken, had they ended up sacrificing themselves in Acnologia's attack to save them?

Mira approached from the bar where she had grabbed a couple drinks for her and Lucy from Kinana, having had no mind to work the bar recently. The ivory mage slid into the booth across from Lucy, handing her a milk shake as she did so, "how are you doing Lucy," she asked.

The blonde shrugged, thanking Mira for the shake and took a sip, "as well as can be expected, I suppose." Her eyes slid across the guildhall again, their comrades were still as noisy as ever, but no brawls had broken out since they'd gotten back, and Lucy found herself considering tossing a beer glass into someone's head just to see what would happen. She was clearly losing it.

"And how are you doing Mira," Lucy asked instead, shifting in the booth to fully face her friend.

Mira gave her a small smile, "just taking each day as it comes," she paused collecting her thoughts until she focused back on Lucy. "You know, it all seems so silly now. I knew how Haru felt for years, but I wanted to push him until he made the first move, it was a challenge, it was fun to push him." She dropped her head on to a propped hand and released a sigh, "if I had just told him sooner, we could have had years together, and now?"

The celestial mage scoffed, "Mira, you and Haru had one of the strongest bonds in the guild, anyone not completely oblivious saw that." Mira's eyes widened, tears shimmering and threatening to fall. Lucy moved to her side of the booth and pulled her into a hug, and the two allowed themselves to share in a moment of grief. Their guildmates gave them the courtesy of pretending they weren't seeing the private moment and continued to move about their activities. Lucy ran a hand up and down her friend's arm, letting her thoughts wander as well, she hadn't cried for a few days now, she just couldn't anymore. The grief was as heavy as ever, but the tears just didn't come. In one fell swoop, they'd all learned that two years had gone by without them, and the Twin Dragons were missing, yes missing. Lucy refused to believe they were gone, but she also hadn't voiced that aloud to anyone yet. In addition to the love of her life and her best friend both vanishing without a trace, her keys and thus, all of her spirits, were missing as well, to say she was hurting would be an exponential understatement.

"Mira, I have to tell you something," Lucy whispered quietly. The thought had been sticking in her head since she first heard that Fairy Tail hadn't heard from the guys, she wasn't sure if it was denial, or something else. The white-haired mage shifted her eyes back up, "someone has been paying my rent the entire two years we've been away…" The blonde didn't elaborate on her thoughts, but Mira's eyes widened anyway.

"You think it was Natsu and Haru?"

"I could maybe see one of our allies or a noble who appreciated Fairy Tail's help paying the guild's costs, but not my apartment. I think the guys have been protecting Fairy Tail… I think they're out there."

"You know, those idiots are way too stubborn to let themselves be done in by their magic's namesake. Your theory isn't so farfetched."

Lucy nodded, she felt a swell of gratitude for Mira, the two had leaned on each other heavily since their return. They understood each other's feelings, and apparently their belief that the boys were still out there somewhere. To be fair, Lucy thought it was an unspoken belief held by a lot of the guild, Dragon Soul in particular, many of them kept their ears open for rumours concerning their missing friends and until they heard or saw definitive proof that the two had perished, no one would be giving up hope. Anyone implying otherwise resulted in a less than friendly altercation, usually instigated by a member of Dragon Soul, so, they all tried to stay positive, and keep the spirit of Fairy Tail alive for their eventual return.

Erza wandered over to join the girls then and the three chatted away into the evening, among other harsh blows of suspended time, Erza herself was grappling with the news that over the two years, the NMC had had Jellal assisting with any missions concerning Zeref's black magic as part of his reparations. He'd been integral in reconnaissance quests into the main branch of the Balam Alliance, Tartaros, which was rumoured to be made up entirely of Zeref's Etherious. Due to his critical contributions and 'good behaviour,' the Council agreed to Makarov's request to release the ex-criminal into Fairy Tail's custody.

Jellal was still working with the NMC to finish up a couple more missions under the sharp eye of Commander Lehar, but the next month or so would see the blue-haired mage joining Fairy Tail on a kind of probation. It was bittersweet to be sure, since Natsu had used his purifying flames on the man, he was completely freed from the demonic presence that had been manipulating him, but he was still the man that had destroyed so many lives. Fairy Tail always strived to see the best potential in most anyone though, and after some conversation with the man in question, Makorav was assured that he was reformed enough to put the guild's reputation on the line. This would be Jellal's second chance.

The girls agreed that if the Twin Dragons were here, they'd have thrown their support behind the Master's, so they'd all welcome their new guild member with open arms when he arrived. After a small bite to eat and some goodbyes, Lucy announced that she was going to head out for the night, "Happy! I'm heading home for the evening, are you coming?"

"Aye sir!" The blue cat called, zipping over to her and landing on her shoulder, he'd been staying with her since their return, both appreciating the company to keep the loneliness at bay during the nights. "Can we have fish tonight Lucy," the cat begged as they made their way balancing precariously on the edge of the canal.

"You just ate," the blonde snapped back incredulously.

"Yeah, but—" A blinding light flashed a few feet to their left, cutting Happy's words off immediately and had Lucy flinching and stumbling to the side losing her footing. With a startled yelp and a frantic waving of her arms, she almost slipped into the waters below, but a hand shot forward to close around her wrist and pulled her back, releasing her once she'd found her center of gravity again.

Releasing a relieved breath after the close recovery, Lucy turned, squinted her eyes as the light died down to assess the source and gawked, "LEO?" She blinked at the lion spirit numbly for a minute, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks, her jaw working for words that she failed to verbalize. Instead, she just leapt forward throwing herself into his arms, and Leo jerked with the addition of her sudden weight causing them all to tumble to the ground.

"Where'd you come from? How are you here? Are the others okay? Oh my gosh—Leo, I lost all your keys—I'm so sorry, I promised to always protect them!" Now she could feel the tears that had been at bay for days, welling in her eyes again. Leo simply pulled her back into a comforting embrace and murmured reassurances to her.

Then he pressed her back to hold her at arm's length so he could properly see her, "Lucy, I can't stay long, it's draining a LOT of my power to be here, so far from my key."

"—do you know where your key is?" Lucy interrupted.

He smiled, releasing her shoulders to lean back on his hands, "Natsu has all of our keys."

Somewhere in Ishgar

A dark-haired man sat on the cliff looking out over the ocean, it was early afternoon, and the sky was overcast with a few rays of sun piercing the dark clouds. It was beautiful and unpredictable at the same time, the sun could break through the cloud cover, or the skies could open into a down pour at any minute. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his legs dangling precariously over the cliff edge watching as the choppy waters sent waves crashing into the jagged rock bed below. Sitting up straighter he shifted an outstretched arm back and forth in a wave like pattern and the waters below built up larger and larger waves in time with his movements, until a wave the height of the cliff crashed down into the waters. He continued doing this for a while, just manipulating the ocean and sending large waves across the regular ebb and flow of the ocean's current until a breathless voice called over the winds breaking his concentration. The wave broke to early, sending a large spray up over the cliff drenching him and his eye twitched at the interruption. Shaking the water out of his hair, he turned to look dryly at his companion who was running toward him waving something over his head.

"Haru! You've gotta check this out," his partner called; he shoved a copy of the most recent edition of Sorcerer's Weekly into his hands. The other man shoved a hand up to push long pink bangs out of his eyes, his hair had taken on a wilder appearance over the last couple years. Living away from society and on a constant move had left them both with a more rugged look, occasionally they'd made a point of stopping to get cleaned up if they were passing through a town but for the most part it was just the two of them, so their appearances weren't high on their list of priorities. Pulling his usual trick, steam raised off the pink locks as the fire mage ran a heated hand through unruly hair to style it back before he paused, finally noticing Haru's appearance. "Why are you soaked," he asked flatly.

A snap of irritation flew through the water mage as he growled, "because some flame brain moron broke my concentration!" Not seeing an ounce of remorse on his friend's face, Haru huffed and glanced back at the magazine in his hand, he opening it to the marked pages. Having expecting to find a lead on the Etherious, he was unprepared when his eyes crawled over the headline and the accompanying photo before widening, "Natsu… is this confirmed," he asked with a slight edge marring his tone.

. . .

Two years had passed since the conclusion of the S class trial. Two years since the boys had poured everything, they had into their dragon slayer magic for its' intended purpose. Two years since they'd watched helplessly as the apocalypse dragon had obliterated Tenrou island and their beloved family along with it. After that attack, it hadn't taken Acnologia much effort to deliver final blows, sending them both crashing down into the ocean. With their loved ones presumably gone, the fuel behind the Twin Dragon's true power, their reason for fighting, was gone in the blink of an eye. With the remainder of his magic, Haru had summoned his water dragon's lair, pulling an unconscious Natsu and himself into a water sealed pocket of air before he too succumbed to unconsciousness.

Two years had passed since they had failed.

The pair had come to, washed up on a sandy beach sometime later, hours, days later, they couldn't have said. Overwhelmed with grief, they'd spent days sporadically going between being each other's greatest support and being at each other's throats when the hopeless feeling of rage temporarily replaced the grief. They clung to a shred of hope that Makorav's plan, whatever he'd sent Lucy after, Fairy Sphere, had somehow succeeded in saving them, even if they'd found no evidence to suggest it. It had taken some time, but after days of going around in circles and accomplishing nothing, they had found themselves sitting on the beach staring out over the empty ocean, the silence pressing down on them.

"We're the Twin Dragons of Fairy Tail, for fuck sake," Natsu had said suddenly, not turning to look at Haru.

"Yeah, and we failed to protect the most important people in our lives."

"They're out there. Somehow. By the time they return, I want to be strong enough to know we'll never lose them again." Haru had turned to look at the pinkette who had already shifted back onto one hand and had been watching him intently to gage his thoughts. Reading him like a book, like he'd been able to do since the day they'd met, right then it had annoyed Haru to no end. "I don't know what else to do, but I know we can't keep dwelling, they wouldn't want us to lose ourselves in their loss, however long it takes, we'll find them. Bring them back." Natsu had thought of Lucy then, when she'd pressed his face between her hands almost a full year ago, 'we will be together forever,' she'd promised, but she was gone now. The shine of tears had glistened in his eyes and he'd turned and angrily swiped the heel of his hand across his eyes. 'I will always believe in you,' he could almost hear her saying.

Haru had nodded slowly, tired of being at the mercy of his grief and anger as well and it made far more sense to turn those emotions into a more constructive outlet. Continue the search for their missing family while fighting for the people who were still there, fight for Fiore's future. "Well, we better get to work then Natsu, Acnologia fought us back as if we were mere inconveniences. As it stands, we are no match. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to change that and wipe that fucking dragon from existence."

. . .

"It's time to go home," Natsu said, the giant toothy grin that Haru had seen only on rare occasions over the past two years was splitting his face in barely contained excitement. Energy was racing through Haru as well now, but it seemed too good to be true, like this would be a cruel joke, no trace of their comrades had been found in over two years, despite their near constant efforts. He and Natsu had driven themselves to the utmost ends of their strength, magically, mentally and physically, they'd been through so much in two years and yet they hadn't been able to find their family. Natsu had dropped into a lazy cross-legged posture beside him as they looked down at the article, 'FAIRY TAIL RETURNS? TENROU MIRACLE!'The bright full coloured picture showed a bustling image of their guild hall, Erza off to the side of the image with Makorav. Gray in just his boxers with Juvia hanging off him at a table with Wendy and Gajeel across from them. Happy and Carla sitting on the table. Laxus with Freed and Bixlow at the bar in the back… It was hard to make out all their friends, but Natsu thought he could kind of make out heads of blonde and white hair at a table at the edge, the hulking form of Elfman obscuring the view.

Fairy Tail's core members found alive in miraculous turn of events—

Tenrou Island reappears from the middle of the ocean, experts baffled—

Titania, Erza Scarlett: "We are understandably stunned to learn of the time we lost—

"We would appreciate privacy at this time to process everything we have endured—

Fairy Tail's members decline to answer on any theories behind their disappearance—

Or rumours on the Twin Dragon's current where abouts—

The question on everyone's minds now…

Where are Fairy Tail's Twin Dragons?

Reading bits and pieces of the article, the hope settling over Haru spiked, that was a recent image… this wasn't a hoax. Sorcerer's Weekly was a fairly reliable source to begin with, Haru let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding while scanning the feature spread. He dropped his head, bangs hiding his face momentarily, his thoughts going to Mira. The image didn't make it clear if she too, had returned, but if the rest of their family was back then she had to be as well, right? "Let's go home, Natsu."

Fairy Tail

After Leo's unexpected visit a few days ago, Lucy had spun on her heel and dashed back to the guild immediately with a desperate need to share the new developments with Mira and the rest of the guild as soon as possible. Since that evening, the guild had doubled down in their efforts to track down information on their missing comrades, and Makorav had sent a few teams out on scouting and recon missions. Erza, Gray and Gajeel among them. Lucy was pacing back and forth irritably, her impatience at a boiling point. She hated sitting around the guild hall even if it made sense, given her past experience in freelance journalism, that she should help Levy comb through the random leads that were gathered. Most of them were entirely useless, and that was more frustrating. Pivoting again to stock back across the hall for the umpteenth time in her restless energy, a grip snagged her wrist to prevent her movement, "Lucy, you are wearing on my calm."

The stellar mage hinged slightly, releasing a drawn-out exhale and turned toward Mira, Wendy was sitting on a bar stool next to her with Carla in her arms, nodding in agreement with an apologetic smile. "Right, sorry."

Mira released her wrist and patted her shoulder instead, "we'll find something soon enough, and head out to track them down when we do."

"I found something," Levy announced, "but it's over a year old." The girls joined the bluenette as she slapped the old newspaper article down on the bar top between them. In shared curiosity Lucy, Mira and Wendy glanced over Levy's shoulders at the paper appraisingly. The article sported a very grainy image of what looked to be a large demon amidst a town, the headline read 'DEMON LULLABY'S TERROR ENDED.'

"You think this is what they've been up to? Why they've stayed away from Fairy Tail?" Levy asked.

Lucy didn't respond, skimming the paragraph to pick out the details, a couple of the townspeople swore they witnessed just two mages taking down the giant demon. According to one local, the pair wielded devastating fire and water magics and looked somewhat demonic themselves, they eliminated the demon with relative ease and vanished just as suddenly as they'd appeared, without seeking a reward. Analyzing the image didn't provide much information, it was too dark and blurry to really make out any details but there was a speck of a person in the air over the demon's head lit up by what could be fire, and another appeared to be running up Lullaby's arm. After Jellal had released the demonic power from three of Zeref's books back at the tower, Haru had sworn he'd destroy them all one day so no one would suffer the same losses he had, and of course Natsu had thrown his support behind him without hesitation. Knowing that, Levy's theory had genuine merit.

"So maybe if we change up our tactics to seek any recent articles or news about Zeref or demonic activity…" Lucy trailed off in thought.

Happy had climbed up on her head at some point, and was peering down at the article as well, mumbling Natsu's name softly, then louder he asked, "we're gonna find them, right Lucy?"

Lucy's eyes trailed up to the tips of the blue ears she could see peeking out over the top of her head, she reached up to snatch him off his perch and hugged the cat to her chest. "'course we are Happy, what kind of silly question is that?"

"Erza and Gray are due back tomorrow," Mira began slowly, seemingly spinning an idea in her head even as she gave it voice, "how about we team up with them and head to Era, if we can get the Council to let us meet with Jellal, he might be able to provide us with information. After all, he's been searching out anything related to Zeref for the past two years, if we're lucky, maybe the Council will even agree to releasing him to Fairy Tail's custody early."

Nodding absently at first, the idea made increasing sense the more Lucy considered it, she turned back toward Mira with a determined grin. "Yeah, I like it," she said with another sharp nod as though confirming the plan to herself, she immediately felt better having a purpose that would at least let her do something with all her nervous energy. It was infuriating that Leo hadn't been able to tell her where the guys were before he'd vanished and he hadn't been back since, much to her further disappointment.

"I'll discuss the details with Master," Mira told her softly, breaking into her thoughts, the white-haired mage tilted her head as she took in Lucy's apparent exhaustion. "Why don't you go home for the night, go treat yourself to a hot bath and a good sleep, we'll be on the road tomorrow until we find those idiots and bring them home." With waves of gratitude hitting her at the suggestion and Happy's enthusiastic cheers, Lucy immediately felt the tension she'd been carrying around ease a bit, she subconsciously hugged the blue cat tighter and agreed without argument.

"Thanks Mira, I will see you tomorrow," she promised as she moved toward the guild's doors. Exiting into the warm late afternoon, Lucy was actually content to have a peaceful evening at home having spent nearly all her free hours at the guild recently. She hadn't even realized how desperately she needed some self-care until Mira recommended it. Heading straight home, she hummed to herself as she made her way to her bathroom with a little more bounce in her step then had been there in a long while. Turning the taps with the intention to fill her bathtub to the brim with steaming hot water and essential oils to soothe her muscles, Lucy pulled her hair up into a high bun and ran a cool cloth over her face. She paused a moment to take in her reflection staring back at her, "soon Lucy," she told herself with conviction, "we will find Natsu and Haru, soon."

With a small smile she turned back and stepped into her tub, sinking down into the waters with an audible sigh. Happy curled up and passed out on a pile of plush towels on the countertop, not that she minded, he never liked to be far from her side with the guys' absence looming over him, it was like being alone reminded him that his people were gone without a trace. But there was a trace now, Lucy reminded herself with a shake of her head, and eased further into the water.

. . .

Lucy had needed that, Gods, how she had needed that, she would be sure to thank Mira for looking out for her, even when she wasn't aware of her own needs. At that thought, she hoped her friend was also taking time away from the guild after proposing their plan to Makorav, they would be on the road for what could be weeks by tomorrow afternoon. Lucy felt momentarily guilty for planning to drag Erza and Gray back out when they'd only just be returning, but she also knew it wasn't likely she could convince them to stay even if she'd wanted to. Dragon Soul was fractured without the guys, and her teammates were just as desperate to find them as she and Mira were. Lucy wrapped a towel around her body and pulled the tie from her hair to let her hair tumble back down around her shoulders before exiting the bathroom.

"Yo Luce!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Stretched out over her bed and looking rather travel-worn, Natsu flashed a giant grin at her and in her lounge chair to the side, Haru had slung himself across the cushions with a leg kicked over the arm. "It is so good to see you Lucy," he told her as he sipped on what she assumed was tea they had helped themselves to as though they'd never been gone at all.

Natsu was bounding toward her as her head was still reeling with the seemingly impossible reality of the situation, wondering if she'd slipped and hit her head getting out of the bath. But then Natsu's hands were framing her face, his familiar warmth melting into her body at every point of contact, his eyes searching hers with the barest of smiles as though he were also trying to confirm his reality. "Two years," he whispered then, so quietly she wasn't sure he'd said it at all, but then he was wrapping his body around her and his lips were on hers with all the passion she remembered. When he pulled away after a moment that stretched forever and seemed gone in a fleeting instant all at the same time, his familiar toothy grin was firmly in place even as unshed tears shone in his eyes. Lucy could feel her own tears streaming down her face, he brushed them away with the pad of his thumb.

She still blinked up at him as though he could vanish the second she took her eyes off of him, and then he was leaping around her, "hey, lil buddy! Sleep times over!"

Lucy cringed at the resulting wail that sounded from her bathroom as Haru approached her and folded her into his own embrace, "missed you Lucy," he told her.

Returning the hug with gusto, she snarked, "bet you missed Mira more…" she turned a sly grin on him before she slapped a hand over her mouth, "holy shit, Mira! The rest of the guild! –Have you guys been by the guild yet? Everyone has been so worried, there are still teams out searching for you!"

Reappearing from her bathroom with Happy latched to his head and still bawling, Natsu dropped his chin onto her shoulder from behind, threading his arms around her waist again. "Yours' was the first place we came, we just want one quiet night with you and Mira and Happy… before the inevitable crazy the guild drops on our heads," Natsu mumbled into the side of her neck before nipping gently at the skin there. Happy had leapt from Natsu's head at some point and crashed into Haru's chest to continue his blubbering and the water mage was chuckling and patting the cat's head reassuringly.

"But Mira doesn't even know you idiots are back," Lucy drawled, torn between swatting Natsu away and relishing his small touches to continuously remind her that this wasn't some desperate dream her brain was feeding her.

Shifting his posture a bit, Haru explained, "yeah, we came here because your place is easy to sneak in and out of without being seen, we're going to head home—"

Natsu cut in then, "and you're going to go grab Mira, and come join us, pronto," he announced with a gleeful tone before eyeing his partner with a cheeky smile. "Haru will start dinner!"

"With what?! We haven't been home in a year, idiot!" he paused as another fact dawned on him, "—and don't volunteer me for things!"

Lucy nodded dumbly, and pointed at her fridge, "grab what you need…" she said absently, Haru rolled his eyes and resigned himself to his fate before making his way to her kitchen to see what he could turn into a quick meal for five.

"I want fish!"

"You know… after two years, I actually missed hearing your statements of the obvious, Happy."

"Missed it enough to get me fish?"

"Yeah… it's going to get old again, really fast."

Turning in Natsu's arms, Lucy looped her arms around his neck and met his gaze again, "I really don't want you to go so soon."

Natsu snorted, "come on Luce, it won't even be an hour, if you're quick," he told her with a wink, though he did completely understand the anxiety washing over her. Two years of separation had him wanting to cling to her desperately and not let her out of his sights, but he wasn't about to admit that particularly unpractical desire. He drew her back into his arms and rested his cheek on the top of her head, he'd gotten a little taller Lucy noted vaguely, among other changes. Her eyes crawled over a new scar curving over the swell of muscle on his shoulder, the unruly pink hair that reached just passed the nape of his neck now, and most curiously, spiralling mixes of flame markings and rune symbols that curled down most of his right arm from a point just above his elbow. He'd been gone so long—no, she corrected herself, she'd been gone so long, what all had happened? A few weeks not knowing what fate had had of him had almost recked her, she could only imagine how Natsu and Haru had managed the past two years.

"I'm here Lucy, I'm not going anywhere."

She pressed him back to look up at him again and he knew they both needed the reassurance, he smiled brightly, "we'll always be together, you told me that once, remember?"

Blinking fresh tears away again Lucy nodded quickly, "y-yeah!"

The Twin Dragon's Home

"Royal flush."

"What the hell?!" the group shouted in random variations, gaping at the smug look on Haru's face. His fingertips still rested on the cards he'd just laid down, lounging on his side with an elbow propped under him.

Natsu's eyes narrowed, "you must be cheating, that's like the fourth round in a row."

"Face it Natsu, you and Lucy have terrible poker faces, and Mira just has terrible luck!"

With a gasp, Mira glared playfully and stuck her tongue out at Haru, everyone else conceded and dropped their cards on the carpet between them.

"We shoulda played strip poker!" Happy cheered in attempts to fluster his favourite people.

"For the hundredth time, NOT HAPPENING," Lucy barked to the shared laughter of her guildmates. Happy and the four mages had been playing various card games for a couple hours now, sitting or lounging on the floor sprawled out over scattered cushions.

Lucy had managed to snag Mira and made it across Magnolia and through the forest in record time, the worn path that led to the small house tucked back in the cover of the forest was more moss and weeds then path now, but she'd found it none the less. She hadn't offered Mira any details in explanation, despite her friend complaining about wanting a hot bath herself and that whatever Lucy wanted to show her could wait until tomorrow. Only Lucy's uncontained excitement had the demon mage following without any real resistance, curious to see what potential lead she'd found. So, when she led Mira through the door of the Twin Dragon's home to find the ridiculously mundane scene of Haru tending a couple pots on the stove and Natsu and Happy at the kitchen table chatting with him as though they'd never been gone at all… well, Mira's response had been even more dramatic than her own had been an hour earlier.

Upon hearing Mira's scream that subsequently broke into various yells, half ecstatic and half furious ranting, both dragon slayers had flinched and slapped their hands over their ears at the unexpected sharp noises. Lucy had only smirked and giggled at the reaction, when Mira rounded on her, pointing rapidly between the two men who still hadn't shifted and had only just cautiously dropped their hands again. "You couldn't have TOLD ME?!"

Haru said something that was lost in her rambling, her head whipped in his direction, breaking off her rant. He was moving toward her drying his hands on a towel, and suddenly she was swiping at the tears in her eyes before throwing herself across the room and bowling them both to the ground in a heap. "10 points!" Happy cheered when Haru coughed out a lung of air upon hitting the floor hard, when he'd recovered from the shock he'd sat up and pressing her up with him, looking more than a little dumbfounded at her action. The two just sat on the floor, Mira's face buried in Haru's shirt and her arms looped tightly around his neck as he ran a hand through her hair soothingly.

Lucy had crossed the room and dropped into the chair next to Natsu as the two watched their friends' reunion. "You know," Lucy started, meeting Natsu's eyes, "I feel like our respective reunions are backwards… I totally would have expected the more soft, subtly loving, reunion from them," she told him with a snicker, jabbing a thumb in their direction.

Natsu smirked, "if you'd tackled me to the floor, Haru would have had to leave the room," he retorted with a devious look and Lucy blushed despite herself. He chuckled and shrugged a shoulder, eyes going back to the pair still on the floor, "I'll give you your passionate reunion later. That's a promise…" he trailed off with his lopsided grin, a canine glinting. That statement had sent a heated anticipation right to her core and she'd torn her eyes away from him, biting off a groan, she got up to check on whatever it was Haru had been cooking to attempt to distract herself.

. . .

Once it was nearing midnight, and Happy was peacefully curled up and purring loudly in his sleep on a couch cushion, and the four friend's conversations were punctuated with more yawns than words, they finally parted to retreat to their beds for the night. Lucy had expected Natsu to be initiating that passionate reunion he'd alluded to earlier as soon as the door closed, but instead, he made his way toward his bedside table, pulling a box from the drawer and beckoning for her to join him on the bed. She quirked a curious brow and moved to sit beside him, he pressed the small box into her hands, it was rectangular, maybe a necklace, she thought as her eyes moved from the box back up to his.

"Just a small gift," he told her quietly, "I missed you so much Lucy, you'll never know."

Lucy's mouth dropped open a little, the hurt from the last two years seemed to swell beneath the surface of his outward calm. She reached forward to cup his jaw in her hand. Leaning in to give him a gentle kiss, with none of the aggressive need their kisses often held, but with all the unspoken passion. "Hey, we found each other again," she told him, "we'll always find each other again, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded, as if confirming it to himself before snagging both her hands and pulling them up in between them, "I love you Lucy."

She blinked slowly, gaping again, "s-say that again…" she pleaded with some desperation.

"I love you Lucy. With every fiber of my being, with every flame burning inside me, I never gave up hope I'd find you again."

Lucy flung herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around him tightly and cried again. She'd been crying far too much recently, but at least there'd been more happy tears than sad lately. "I love you too, Natsu."

That toothy grin she loved appeared and she traced her fingers along his bottom lip, memorizing the details or that grin for the hundredth or thousandth time since the first time she'd seen it so long ago in Hargeon. "Open your gift," Natsu commanded excitedly. Turning in his lap a bit and pulling the ribbon loose from the box to drop onto the bed in front of them, Lucy lifted the lid from the box and gazed at the glittering silver nestled within it.

Her fingers went to skim the warm metal, feeling the light pull of magic, "Natsu," she breathed, stunned, "thank you."

He smiled brightly, as she finally lifted the key from the box, Canis Minor, it wasn't a powerful key, or even a particularly rare key, but Lucy's mom had had one under contract that Lucy used to play with growing up in that big empty mansion. Layla Heartfilia had left this particular key in Hisui's possession after the young princess had become inspired to become a celestial spirit mage after seeing Layla open the Gate all those years before. After spending long weeks working closely with the King and his daughter on a mission involving the Eclipse Gate, Hisui had entrusted the key to Natsu after learning he was searching for Layla's daughter, stating that it belonged with Lucy.

Lucy stared at the key in wonder, there were a multitude of keys to gates of Canis Minor in the world, but this particular one had been her mother's, she could feel the residual magic signature that clung to the key. Of all the keys he could have found, how had Natsu found this one, it couldn't possibly be a fluke. "Natsu, how—"

Natsu cut her off with a firm kiss this time, taking the key and the box from her hands gently and placed it back on the nightstand next to the leather pouch containing the rest of her keys that had found a home on his belt the past year. She let herself drop back onto the mattress and he followed her down, hovering over her frame and shook his head, "a lot happened while you were gone and I will tell you every story in time, but not tonight. Tonight, I just want to be with you." He kissed her again then, his hands already exploring her body with a slight desperation, seeking the warm skin hidden beneath her clothing. She let out a content sigh and realized she didn't need to hear the 'whys' behind everything at that moment either, nor did she want to just then, she simply wanted to be with him too.

. . .

The morning sun lent a dull light to the room through the dense forest outside the window, Natsu shifted slightly as his consciousness dragged him from the pleasant dream he'd been having, the resulting sensations still effecting his body. His eyes raked over his ceiling and the furnishings of his simple room as awareness slowly came back to him that he was, in fact, back in his house. That Lucy, Happy and the rest of their Fairy Tail family were, in fact, back from their apparent suspended time lapse. Then the pressure of a hand on his inner thigh guiding his legs apart reminded him that Lucy was, in fact, in his bed right now. His eyes flew open, and all semblance of sleep-muddled confusion were gone in an instant, he threw back the blankets just in time to see the blonde take his cock into her mouth. She had one of his legs draped over her shoulder and her forearm across his hips firmly pinning him in place. Her eyes swam with mischief as he choked on her name and fell back against the pillows, reaching a hand out behind him for purchase on the headboard, just for something to anchor him to this reality.

The pleasure he had granted himself with over the past couple years on occasion, with his hand and fleeting thoughts of his beautiful missing girlfriend, paled in comparison to physically waking up to her attentions. He'd been so mesmerized with finally having her back in his arms the previous night, that he'd taken it as a personal challenge to taste every inch of her and so he hadn't allowed himself to indulge in her explorations of his body as much. But fuck, did she know how to return a favour.

Natsu was pulled from his thoughts from the sound of Happy screaming incoherently, the slamming of a door and then the resulting pause of the blonde's efforts. She looked up at him, eyebrows knitted together in confusion and mouth still firmly latched around him. But he was so close, right at the edge of bliss and he just couldn't bring himself to care. He found himself begging her in a voice that came out with an embarrassingly desperate quality, "please… Luce, please don't stop…" She hummed around him in reassurance, sending pleasant vibrations coursing through him as she reached up with her free hand to fondle his balls. Redoubling her efforts, she dragged his willing body to the edge and pushed him over, his eyes rolled back to the ceiling as he panted for breath through the waves of his release.

Lucy freed herself from the tangle of his legs and crawled back up his body, placing a kiss on his pec, a second at the angle of his jaw before finally sealing her lips over his in a third. "G' Morning," she breathed, watching him through dark lashes, he gave her a lazy, satiated smile as she rolled out of bed and informed him that she was going to have a shower. Natsu watched as she shed the only scraps of clothing she was wearing, one of his shirts, and a pair of panties, Lucy flashed him a coy smile before disappearing into his bathroom. Mumbling 'tease,' out loud to the now vacant room, Natsu pulled his spent body from the bed, resolving to check out what had Happy all worked up earlier. Pulling on a pair of black boxer briefs and not bothering with anything else, Natsu followed the smell of coffee to find Haru with his back to him in the kitchen. Haru was clothed in just his usual steel gray pants, having also forgone a shirt, he busied himself with pulling some mugs from the cabinets.

"Coffee, Natsu?" he asked without turning to look.

"Gods—yes," Natsu whined, he may have spent a few too many hours last night getting reacquainted with the blonde and was feeling the resulting fatigue heavily. He padded over to drop into a chair at the table and glanced at Happy who was curled in on himself and watching Haru with narrowed eyes. "What got you all upset buddy? –Did you lose your fish privileges again?"

That comment finally earned his partner's undivided attention, Haru glanced over his shoulder with a pointed expression at the cat that Natsu didn't miss. Happy looked between the two before jabbing an accusing finger at the water mage, "Haru and Mira were trying to make kittens!" he yelled dramatically before grumbling again, "I am scarred for life."

Haru tipped his head back with an exaggerated eye roll before joining Natsu at the table, he handed him a mug of coffee and sat down across from him. "And who's fault would that be Happy? Closed doors aren't an invitation to come barrelling in unannounced."

The cat pouted and stuck his tongue out as Natsu just grinned expectantly at Haru, "you know it took Happy a full week to get over it after walking in on me 'n' Luce."

"Yes, I recall."

Happy glowered, "thanks for the reminder Natsu."

Shrugging a shoulder and tipping his mug back for a long sip of coffee, Haru informed nonchalantly, "he didn't even see anything… we were just getting out of the shower."

"Showers hmm?" Natsu said as he leaned across the table a bit, asking in a quieter tone "so was it worth the wait?"

Haru was much more polite, and much less blunt than Natsu, so he didn't respond and Natsu hadn't expected him to, but the smug look on his friend's face said everything. Chuckling Natsu leaned back into his chair, eyes flickering passed the other man, to the new presence in the room, "finally."

"Right? Only took disappearing for two years to get this guy to make his move," Mira announced, wandering up behind Haru, she slid her arms down over his chest as she bent to press a kiss to his temple.

Haru turned to look up at her with a dismissive smile but left her teasing remark alone, "there's more coffee, if you're interested," he told her instead. With a delighted sound, she gave him a peck on the lips and spun toward the kitchen to pour herself a mug.

"Finally." Natsu said again with increased emphasis in response to the interaction between his friends. He was still amusing himself with the new development when Lucy emerged from his room with her hair tied up in a damp messy bun and wearing the robe that she'd left at his place months—years—ago. She sauntered over to drop onto his lap, he wordlessly wrapped an arm around her waist as she snatched his coffee from his hand and downed the last swallows. Lucy smirked when he gaped indignantly and growled about getting her own, if she'd wanted some so badly.

She ignored him, asking, "so what was Happ—"

"Oh, don't get him started again!"

Lucy blinked at the three all groaning a variation of the same statement before giggling at them, "okay, so that topic is off limits I see…" Haru rolled his eyes again in response, "are we still getting breakfast at the guild?"

Being the only one actually dressed, Mira fixed them each with an incredulous expression, "that's the notion, if the three of you could bother putting on some socially acceptable clothing."

Haru gestured across the table, "hey, I'm more dressed than those two."

"Oh please, all three of you could give Gray a run for his money right now."

In a surprising turn of events, Lucy just smirked back at her friend, "oh come on, you don't appreciate the morning eye candy? —'cause these two can walk around half naked all the time, as far as I'm concerned…"

Natsu burst out laughing, it wasn't often that the blonde was the one objectifying him, through his amusement he added, "here for your viewing pleasure…" Haru's laughter joined his and Mira blushed uncharacteristically and adverted her eyes. Taking that as a cue to start the day, Natsu stood with Lucy still in his grip and the pair retreated to his room to get dressed so they could all make an appearance at the guild.

A/N. Okay, okay, I know this chapter leaves all sorts of unexplained questions. Jellal's coming back on scene after a lengthy hiatus, the Eclipse Gate is back in play, Natsu's sporting some unknown rune tattoo... I promise they'll all be answered fairly quickly ;)

All my love to Valerioux, TheBicycle, SuperSayajin4Vegeta, TheOldIronKing, Joker D. Zero, EternalFIame and a bunch of Guests for being the motivation behind my pen to paper!

Catch ya all next week!

R&R

xx. Loka Muse